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Law enforcement agencies have reported advancements in addressing grooming gangs and child exploitation, although a watchdog has highlighted remaining “significant challenges.” His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services expressed concerns about inconsistent definitions, data accuracy issues, and lacking national coordination that could hinder efforts to safeguard vulnerable children. According to a progress report, only 37% of child exploitation cases were accurately identified on police systems, resulting in missed opportunities to protect children.
The ongoing fallout over the government’s national inquiry into grooming gangs comes amidst the inspectorate’s findings. A Home Office spokeswoman acknowledged the progress highlighted in the report but emphasized that there is still more work to be done. Shadow home secretary Chris Philip criticized the Home Office for not adopting a clear definition for group-based child sexual exploitation, which he argued was keeping the system unaware of abuse patterns. The national inquiry, initiated by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in June, aims to coordinate targeted local investigations into group-based child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs.
In response to an earlier investigation by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) revealing systemic failures in protecting children, inspectors were tasked with evaluating how police dealt with grooming gangs in 2023. The watchdog’s recent report outlined significant progress made over the past two years, with many forces embracing the IICSA definition, implementing culture change initiatives to combat victim-blaming, and increasing the number of specialist officers handling cases. However, concerns were raised about data collection from external partners and incomplete adoption of the IICSA definition in key guidelines potentially weakening the police response and compromising child protection efforts.
Despite improvements in police responses leading to more safeguarding actions and arrests, delays in investigations and incomplete data collection hinder a clear national understanding of the situation. The watchdog’s recommendations include universally using the IICSA’s definition of an “organised network” and enhancing data collection practices. Victims’ commissioner Baroness Newlove emphasized the need for a universal definition to prevent victims from facing inconsistent levels of protection based on location
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